Final answer:
Weighted averages are used to calculate the average of a set of numbers with different weights or importance.
Step-by-step explanation:
Weighted averages are used to calculate the average of a set of numbers, where each number has a different importance or weight. To solve word problems involving weighted averages, you need to assign appropriate weights to each number and calculate the weighted average using the formula:
Weighted Average = (Number1 x Weight1 + Number2 x Weight2 + ... + NumberN x WeightN) / (Weight1 + Weight2 + ... + WeightN)
For example, if you have two numbers, 80 and 90, with weights 3 and 2 respectively, the weighted average would be calculated as:
Weighted Average = (80 x 3 + 90 x 2) / (3 + 2) = 83.33